Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/334

 310 HISTORY OF upon the wild luxuriance of nature^ wHch at some day had been the object of cultivation by beings equally as rude as Nature her- self. They had not been long upon this proud eminence, ere they espied three Indians towing a canoe up the rapids; one stand- ing in the canoe steering it, one on the shore tugging away at a rope, and the other using a pole to keep the boat off the shore. No sooner were they observed, than Murphy turned to his companions and said : Fve a notion to try the one standing in the canoe,'^ and suiting the action to the word, he drew up and fired, — the distance being somewhat great, he had no ex- pectation of doing effect, but to their utter astonishment he reeled and fell backward over into the river. The other two Indians let loose the rope, dropped the pole, and fled to the woods, not even looking behind to see from whence proceeded the bullet that proved so fatal to their companion. In the morning they proceeded up the river for some miles, but finding slight traces of Indians and discovering none, they crossed over the river, wheeled about, and commenced their march for the encampment, then about thirty miles distant : they had proceeded on their backward course until they arrived opposite the place where the scene just related was enacted the day before, where they discovered at a distance a boy appa- rently fifteen or sixteen years of age, in pursuit of cattle. They hailed him, but he fled. Murphy at the same time pur- suing; he very easily overtook, and secured him prisoner: they then proceeded several miles into the woods, lit a fire, and prepared for the night's repose : — the boy, whose hands were tied behind, was placed between Murphy and Tufts. Sometime in the night Murphy awoke, and on raising up, he discovered the boy, his rifle and moccasons among the missing. He instantly sprang upon his feet, and gave the Indian war- whoop, which, by the by, he mimicked to perfection, to arouse his companions. Murphy, not a little aggravated at the loss of his rifle, moccasons and prisoner, and feeling himself chagrined